misclin's Journal, 05 Aug 12

i would drop the slimfast part of your protein regimen. Choose 100% pure whey protein brand with low cholesterol, low sodium, and mix 2 servings in a blender and consume it over the course of the day. whey protein digests very quickly and if your body does not have any use for it, it will be stored as fat. that's why it's also important to do some form of physical activity so you can build lean mass. Lean mass (muscle) is biologically active (unlike fat), which means you will burn more calories with each pound of lean mass you put on. You need to increase lean mass as you lose fat (adipose tissue) otherwise your weight loss will slow over time. Increasing lean mass will keep the momentum and you will be encouraging results physically as well as your body starts to tone up. I noticed your macronutrient (fats, carbs, proteins) appear to be in the right ratio, but you may still search for one of those websites that give you a customized ratio to help meet your specific goal. I think you can consider lowering the carbs to very low (especially sugary stuff) two days of the week. going back to protein, if you think you are not getting results with whey protein, just it occasionally and fill your protein needs by eating only lean proteins from meats and legumes.  

Thanks for the suggestions...I was using Isopure Zero Carb Whey Protein, 1 scoop to 10 oz bottle of Kroger Slim drink, giving me 35g protein and lots of nutrients, as a meal. Of course it was thicker and tastier than made with 2% milk or water (ugh). The problem was that I was getting too much protein, over 100g per day and not needing it in addition to all else. I do work out at the gym 3x per week; 30 minutes cardio and about an hour on the machines with a total body mixture. I have a daily deficit of over 2000 calories average, so to actually gain weight the week I was on the powder was a sign that something was off. Also, I think my calorie consumption is too low, so I'm trying to bring it up from about 1100 to 1600. My carbs are high, but I don't eat any typical sugary foods except occasional fruit. I was doing great before the powder, I was just worried that I was burning off lean tissue at the gym, so I bought the Isopure. I've been researching the whole issue til I'm blue in the face, everyone's opinion contradicts everyone else's. I don't know what to believe anymore except was was already working. Your comments on this are welcome. 

In addition, going out drinking last night helped. I always lose weight when I drink beer. Need to find out why. 

i agree it can be hard to distill all the information you read from multiple sources down to a few ACTIONABLE things you need to do to meet your goals. I am NOT a certified nutritionist or trainer. I am only suggesting some things here that I think will point you in the right direction. You need to research each key point to create a diet/workout program individualized for your situation. That being said, I would reiterate a few indisputable things I said before (1) you need to increase lean mass. This means weight training for the most part. It also means you should be making progress on the weights so you are stimulating muscle growth. 100g of protein doesn't seem like a lot for you if you are lifting weight at moderate intensity 3x/week. If the amount of protein you were taking before was going to fat, it probably suggests you weren't working hard enough to stimulate muscle growth and therefore no need for that amount of protein. You also have to take your protein with some carbs (fruits preferred) and drink plenty of water all day to make the protein work. (side note: it's best to weight train, THEN do cardio)(2) You need adequate protein intake daily to aid in lean mass development. (3) Spread out your protein over the course of the day because your body can only use a certain amount at any given time (4) play around with your macronutrients to see what gives you the best results WITHOUT sacrificing lean mass. (5) You should measure both body weight and %bodyfat changes together so you can tell if the weight you gain/lose is from lean mass (lean tissue) or fat (adipose tissue).  

Thanks again...yes, I have already figured out to do the machines before cardio, will start that this week. How would someone know (without a meter) if they are losing lean tissue? My biceps are buffer than before, something is happening. My body fat went down from 49% to 44% (according to gym trainer) in a month. Is that possible? Should I buy a scale with BMI? or are they baloney. Part of what is so difficult for me, is all the 'instructions'. Eat this before, eat this after, eat this with this, eat this with that, these muscles today, those muscles tomorrow, etc. I just want to live harmoniously with my sensible eating and exercise and not have to micromanage everything I do. It's just too much. 

you're welcome. I guess some patience is needed both in learning the fundamentals of nutrition and how it affects the body, and patience in seeing results. Don't get overwhelmed, just focus on getting the fundamentals. You will learn what works over time. Avoid the fluff articles in health magazines. Learn the stuff that have been around for a while and there's a long history and numerous research that support it. Also, if you are researching something, read from several different sources as there's a lot of misleading or just plain inaccurate information out there. I noticed a How-To website article using BMI and Bodyfat% interchangeably, which is wrong! It's also important to keep track of any changes you are making so you can attribute positive results to the right actions, so you are not going in circles. Don't confuse BMI (body mass index) with Bodyfat %. BMI is just a health index that looks at the increased susceptibility of developing a number of health issues as a result of being overly height and weight DISproportionate (it looks at your height to weight ratio). You can go to a number of websites and put in your height and weight to get your BMI and a chart to show where you are on it and what it means health-wise. You don't need a scale that shows BMI. Bodyfat%, on the other hand, is strictly the percentage of your total body weight that is fat (that is, weight that is not muscle, skin or organs). In terms of fitness, you need to focus on body weight in combination with bodyfat%. The lower your bodyfat %, the lower your BMI, so both are tools that can let you know you are improving in overall health and fitness. If you are taking your weight and bodyfat% at the same time (using a scale for weight and handheld bodyfat analyzer for bodyfat), then go to a website that lets you plug in the old readings and new readings and it will show you if a weight change is muscle or bodyfat, or a combination of both. You can also calculate in a few steps but I don't think i have space to put it all here, so search for "how to determine if weight loss is fat or muscle" 

I made a mistake when I said BMI, I meant body fat. I'm off to Walmart to buy a scale now, also determines hydration and bone mass. Wow, all for under 40 bucks. Modern technology continually surprises me. I'll be posting readings and changes from time to time, along with me opinion of the scale itself. This website is amazing, and I'm so glad I stumbled upon it. That it's free is icing on the cake (that I can't have, lol).